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Spotify Not Offering Unlimited Downloads Subscription

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Revolution magazine on Thursday night reported the much-talked-about unlimited music streaming service Spotify will also add unlimited downloads to its £9.99-a-month premium offering. That would be quite a departure from the core business models - except, the startup told us Friday morning, it’s “completely untrue - and something we could never support or achieve. It’s just not sustainable and our focus is on access, not ownership, as we’ve always said”.

Though Spotify, co-founded by Daniel Ek, has added a download-to-own option through affiliate links to 7Digital, iTunes and Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), letting users transfer songs off their computers, that’s for individual, la carte downloads and not as part of its subscription offering - besides, Spotify’s biggest business is the free, ad-supported streaming. Still young, the company is cautiously exploring premium models including paid mobile apps and access to exclusive releases (the latest, on Green Day’s new album) and interview content.

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Robert Andrews
@robertandrews May 8, 2009 7:37 AM ET
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  • Alan

    Spotify is an amazing service and here in the UK has around 1 million users already. Its spread so fast , the only thing that would slow it down would be labels removing content. Users seem to be 100% behind it.

    For artists, http://www.dittomusic.com are also putting unsigned content onto Spotify free or charge which is great for unsigned bands.

    I systematically use Spotify for everything i can get my hands on, iTunes for anything i cant!!!

  • Guest

    Music needs to evolve to incorporate tv and film material into a new art form..

  • It would be very hard for them if they will engaged themselves in a paid service as early as now.  More competitors will surely can topple them down.

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